One must use discrimination when listening to Chopin. A lot of his music was used as an outlet for his emotional and physical sickness. Particular care should be taken with the Nocturnes.

Nothing downbeat about this one, though; the op 18 in E flat major.

Played here by Valentina Lisitsa, who has done more to popularise classical piano on the Internet than anyone. Her rightfully proud boast is that she plays to a stadium-full of people online every day.

Martha Argerich, piano; French National Orchestra, conducted by Charles Dutoit, in 1990. Martha has been playing this concerto since she was 12, certainly a long-term relationship.

She has said that her performances do vary considerably: sometimes cooler, sometimes refreshed. Everything is cyclical, of course. I have chosen this performance of all Martha’s great on-line performances because it is complete in one video.

I. Allegramente – 0:39
II. Adagio Assai – 8:57
III. Presto – 17:52

Assagioli says that we must be careful of Jazz rhythms, as they contain influences of a primitive spirituality unsuited to the Westerner. Ravel included many examples of jazzy rythms here. Make up your own mind.

As an Encore, a healthy dose of J S Bach – who seems to have his own take on jazzy rhythms. Here is the Capriccio of the Partita No 2. in C minor, BWV826, played in 2001.